MuslimMatters.org » Amir

Fitna?

Amir — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:09:48 +0000

So Geert Wilder’s video Fitna has finally been released onto the internet. And what a reaction there has been.

Network Solutions pulled the site that was supposed to be hosting the film. Techcrunch is worried that Google might experience a “Muslim backlash”. Live Leak, who originally hosted the film, have now pulled it down because of “credible threats”. The Singaporean government has condemned it. The UAE government has condemned it. The Council of Europe has spoken out against it. Afghanistan has expressed concern. Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir has said Malay Muslims are annoyed by it and is calling for a worldwide boycott of Dutch products. Indonesia has condemned it. The OIC naturally condemns it too.

That’s a lot of government and official condemnation for a 17 minute film on Youtube. However, rather than the riots and rivers of blood that the pre-release marketing led us to believe would be the natural consequence of Wilder’s little film, the response from actual Muslims has been, well, not much of a response at all.

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Women Only Gyms: What’s all the fuss about?

Amir — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:52:34 +0000

There’s nothing like the thought of a gym or swimming pool running women-only sessions (at the request of Muslim women) to get some men all worked up. Take the recent ‘controversy’ surrounding one of Harvard University’s gymnasiums. Andrew Sullivan rushes to denounce it as “shariah at Harvard’; Jihadwatch says they have submitted to Islam; and on and on it goes.

It’s hard to see what all the fuss is about.

Firstly, isn’t Harvard University a private university? The gymnasium is therefore its property. If one really believes in private property (and many people don’t) then one must also believe in the right of an owner to exercise absolute control over that property based on whatever criteria he or she may decide. If Harvard University, or the owner of any other gym or swimming pool, decides to ‘discriminate’ against men by disallowing them access during certain times of the day, then they should have every right to do so; and, likewise, if they wanted to ‘discriminate’ against people whose first names start the letter ‘P’, they should have every right to do that too. All property owners — whether home owners or the owners of businesses — should have absolute sovereignty over their property and how it is used. This is on the proviso, of course, that they must accept the social and economic consequences of their decision (and in the case of some of the examples that might be extreme embarrassment, public humiliation and/or boycotting).

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Shariah ‘Courts’ and Freedom of Contract

Amir — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:26:40 +0000

YouTube Direktvideo link

The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently delivered an interesting lecture on the subject of shariah law in the United Kingdom; and naturally, it has been followed by the usual outrage, condemnation, and exaggerated claims of ‘tattered authority’ and African-led Anglican self-destruction as a result.

In essence, the Archbishop was simply suggesting that Muslims, like other groups in society, should be free to apply shariah law judgements to certain elements of their life. For example, in matters of divorce, inheritance and personal relations. He was not suggesting that Muslims be free to practice the hudud (such as capital punishment for murder) in their local communities; or that Islamic law should be given precedence over the law of the land.

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The Anti-Ron Paul Coalition

Amir — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:28:27 +0000

Antiwar.com’s Justin Raimondo comments on the unholy alliance that has formed between the “extreme Left” and “neoconish Right” in response to the rise and rise of American presidential hopeful Dr Ron Paul:

“The Ron Paul campaign has generated a lot of excitement, especially among young people. It has made political history by raising more money in a single day than any other presidential campaign, ever. It has inspired thousands and given hope to those who had given up on politics altogether – as well as thrilling longtime libertarians who have been laboring in the vineyards all these years and haven’t seen anything like this before. On the other hand, it has inspired – if that’s the right word – a counter-movement, an anti-Paul coalition that extends from the extreme Left to the neoconish Right, and all points in between. What’s interesting is that the lies told by these anti-Paulistas amount to pretty much the same tiresome mantra, no matter what the politics of the perpetrator, and it amounts to this: Paul is a secret neo-Nazi.

I kid you not.

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On Naming Teddy Bears (Sudan & the British Teacher)

Amir — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:57:17 +0000

Apparently anxious to defy the stereotypes, some Sudanese protesters are now calling for Mrs Gillian Gibbons, the 54 year old teacher whose students chose the name ‘Muhammad’ for their class mascot, to be killed.

Hundreds of Sudanese Muslims have taken to the streets of Khartoum demanding death for the British school teacher convicted of insulting Islam after her class named a teddy bear Mohammad.

It’s no wonder then that Latin phrases such as civis Romanus sum and its more modern equivalent civis Britannicus sum are experiencing a revival; or that calls are being made for a cessation of aid to Sudan in retaliation for their treatment of a British citizen.

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The Relative Affluence of Muslim America

Amir — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 21:20:52 +0000

The Economist has an interesting piece on the growing importance of the “Muslim market” in the United States and how companies are adapting to it. They write:

But a new study by JWT, an advertising agency, points out that the 6m or so Muslims in America are, on average, richer and better educated than the general population. Two-thirds of Muslim households make more than $50,000 a year and a quarter earn over $100,000; the national average is $42,000. Two-thirds of American Muslims have a college degree, compared with less than half of the general population. Muslim families also tend to have more children. So the perception that marketing specifically to Muslims is not worthwhile would appear to be wrong.

This is itself an interesting observation. In Australia and, to a lesser extent, the United Kingdom, the Muslim community is not necessarily known for its comparative wealth or relatively better education. So what makes the American Muslim community so different? Is it that American immigration policy has favoured the educated and affluent from the Muslim world or is there something intrinsic to the American system that has led to this?

Nasheed: How can you deny?

Amir — Wed, 02 May 2007 13:06:13 +0000

Some of the brothers here in Melbourne, Australia have just recorded their first nasheed CD and have produced a nice video clip of one of the nasheeds:

YouTube Direktvideo link

Letter from a Student at Virginia Tech

Amir — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:14:23 +0000

The following article by Virginia Tech graduate student, Bradford B. Wiles, was published in the Roanoke Times yesterday. He writes of the feeling of helplessness and vulnerability that he felt at the time of the killings.

Would the massacre perhaps have been prevented or stopped earlier if, as he says, students with concealed weapons licenses were allowed to bring their guns on campus? Of course, only Allah knows the answer to that question but recent history would suggest that this idea has some merit.

Assuming that a mass murderer wants to kill en masse then it is reasonable to assume they will target areas where they have the best chance of killing as many people as possible before eventually turning the gun on themselves or being captured. In an environment such as Virginia where, it seems, a significant proportion of the population may be carrying concealed weapon, it makes sense (as much as any of this can possibly make sense) to go to a place where nobody has the capability of defending themselves against you. In this case, it seems that was the campus of Virginia Tech.

Anyway, Bradford writes:

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Prof. Muhammad Mohar Ali has passed away

Amir — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:12:26 +0000

I was informed today that Professor Muhammad Mohar Ali, the father of Abu Muntasir (of JIMAS), passed away on Wednesday morning. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raaji’oon.

Here is a brief biography of the sheikh:

Born in Khulna in Bengal, he was a scholar of Seerah and Hadith who served as a lecturer of Islamic History at the Islamic Universities of Madinah and Riyadh for two decades before moving to England.

Unassuming and always able to make time for others, he was known for being a practical person who used to do carpentry and help his family and the local community. Shaykh Mohar Ali made several important contributions in the fields of Islamic history and the spread of Islam outside the Arab world.

His work provided an incisive new dimension to the way Muslims view contemporary issues and their historical contexts. In particular, he distinguished himself with his clear exposition of Orientalism and missionary activity, making Quranic Arabic more accessible to English speakers, and his four-volume classic titled A History of the Muslims of Bengal (1985), regarded as one of the most reliable sources on the effects of Islam on the political and cultural life of the region. Other important works he has authored include: The Quran and the Orientalists (2004); Pre-Islamic Arabia and its Socio-Religious Condition (2002); A Word for Word Meaning of the Quran (2003); Sirat Al-Nabi and the Orientalists (1997); The Bengali Reaction to Christian Missionary Activities, 1833-1857 (1965).

He is survived by his wife, three sons and over a dozen grandchildren.

Certainly, we are all poorer for his departure from this world but his books and research will continue to guide and benefit generations to follow insha’Allah.

May Allah make his grave spacious, grant him forgiveness and grant him a place in jannatul firdaus. And may He give sabr and ease to his family and children. Ameen.

Interview with Dr Bilal Philips

Amir — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:09:46 +0000

As some readers may be aware, the Canadian Muslim scholar Dr Bilal Philips was recently refused a visa to attend an Islamic conference in Melbourne, Australia. The Australian government cited security concerns as their reason and a number of serious allegations against Dr Philips were made in the media. For example, the Herald Sun reported:

Sheik Philips, 50, a Canadian citizen who lives in Qatar, once wrote: “Western culture, led by the United States, is the enemy of Islam.”

The US Government named him as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 bombing that killed six people and injured 1000. He was deported from the US in 2004.

Unfortunately, lost in the coverage of the conference and Dr Philips’ visa application was Dr Philips’ side of the story. As such, we are pleased to present this interview with the sheikh in which he responds to some of the media and government allegations against him.
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